Guide for Selecting Level-of-Service Targets for Maintaining and Operating Highway Assets

The objective of this research is to develop a guide for selecting level-of-service targets for maintaining and operating highway assets. Asset management principles are used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) to operate, maintain, upgrade, and expand physical assets effectively throughout their lifecycle. These principles include (1) establishing high-level policy goals and objectives, (2) developing performance measures to accomplish the goals and objectives, (3) analyzing options and tradeoffs for investment strategies, (4) making decisions based on quality information and data, and (5) monitoring outcomes to provide accountability and feedback. A key component of such a strategy is the identification of important maintenance features that make up highway infrastructure and the establishment of a level-of-service target for each. Such targets have often been established based on expert opinion of individuals and not necessarily following a systematic process. In general, level of service is defined in terms related to customer service, such as safety, convenience, aesthetics, comfort, or mobility. However, there are no widely accepted methodologies for determining the appropriate levels of service associated with the condition of the different assets. Research is needed to identify methodologies and develop a guide for selecting target levels of service for maintaining and operating highway assets. Such a guide will help highway agencies better utilize asset management principles and manage highway assets more effectively.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2970
• Supplemental Notes:
  • The "Guide to Level of Service Target setting for Highway Assets" prepared as part of the final deliverable has been summarized in NCHRP Research Results Digest 396: Approach to Level-of-Service Target Setting for Highway Assets. The digest and three other documents prepared as part of project deliverable (the contractor’s Guide to Level-of-Service Target Setting for Highway Assets, the contractor’s final report for NCHRP Project 14-25, and an Excel spreadsheet tool) are available at http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/173327.aspx.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $300000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 14-25

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Hanna, Amir

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE)

  University of Wisconsin, Madison
  1415 Engineering Drive, 2205 Engineering Hall
  Madison, WI  United States  53706

  University of Wisconsin, Madison

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  1415 Engineering Drive
  Madison, WI  United States  53706
• Principal Investigators:

  Adams, Teresa

• Start Date: 20110803
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20141203
• Source Data: RiP Project 28086

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Customer service; Highway operations; Level of service; Life cycle analysis; Maintenance; Service life
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01463686
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 14-25
• Files: UTC, RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 2:28PM